River Edge DPW weathers recent snowstorms

Louise Borek salts the walkway at Cherry Hill School in River Edge following a snowstorm early last week.

The latest major snowstorm to hit New Jersey on Jan. 21 had River Edge officials scrambling to get their plows out and roads cleared up quickly.

Gov. Christie declared a state of emergency last week before the impending snowstorm, during which about 10 inches of snow fell in River Edge.

Local officials were grateful of the type of snow that fell.

"The storm dumped about 10 inches of snow on the borough," said River Edge Mayor Sandy Moscaritolo. "Fortunately, it was not a wet, heavy snow."

District schools closed early and various municipal council meetings and activities were canceled.

With current weather patterns remaining volatile and unpredictable, officials remain prepared for the worst. According to Department of Public Works (DPW) Superintendent John Lynch, River Edge's DPW went through approximately 150 tons of salt in the last storm.

"As always, I'm proud of the department and the men for all their hard work," Lynch said. "The guys do an outstanding job."

Lynch said that DPW crews were doing equipment maintenance and cleaning residue after the storm cleanup.

"That's just as important, after the storm, to keep things running efficiently," Lynch said. "We wash trucks down and clean everything off. The equipment is a big part of it. Having it makes everything run more efficient in snow cleanup after storms."

Lynch said that after the snow stopped that night, roads were cleared curb-to-curb by 2 a.m. With 72 miles of road cleared, employees moved on to borough parking lots and sidewalks.

"It's a chore in and of itself," Lynch said. "But the guys really take pride in their work."

Lynch said the extremely low temperatures paired with snow were an issue during the recent storm. The DPW sprays calcium chloride on the salt, which Lynch said helps for temperatures under 22 degrees.

"That was a big problem during this storm," Lynch said. "After the cleanup, the roads had time to dry so there's been no black ice or freezing yet."

Moscaritolo said he was amazed at the end result.

"The borough's DPW did a phenomenal job," he said. "We had a full crew of a dozen trained men. Most of the road work was completed by 2 a.m. The crew cleared public parking lots and school yards by 4 a.m. The sidewalks in front of public buildings were completed by 6 a.m., giving our residents and commuters a safer trip to work.

"Our DPW is very effective due to a combination of skill, pride, the right equipment and materials," the mayor said. "We use a combination rock salt and calcium chloride spray on our trucks. This is more effective than salt alone because the chloride will melt ice and snow at lower temperatures than salt alone."

The council budgets money for storm cleanups, Moscaritolo said.

"Historically, we budget for three to four storms per winter," he said.

"In this past storm, we used 150 tons of salt and labor and materials cost the borough approximately $25,000," the mayor said.

According to Moscaritolo, borough officials received good feedback on the cleanup job.

"Once again, the borough did an awesome job plowing the streets and keeping us all safe. Kudos to all the hard-working people for a job well done," said River Edge resident Jeff Baker.